Method and means for supporting filter pads



Dec. 5, 1939. o E. QUAVE ET AL 2,182,501

"METHOD AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING- FILTER mus Filed Feb. 4, 1939 Inventors; Oacar E. Qaave and .Bezz 15. flreslow,

their Attorney.

Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED. STATES PATENT or r ce MTETHOD'AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING FILTER PADS Oscar E. Quave, Huntington Park, and Ben B.

Breslow, Los Angeles, Calif., asslgnors to Utility Fan Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application February 4, 1939, Serial No. 254,668

9 Claims.

Our invention relates to methods and means for supporting filter pads and similar devices, especially pads whichconsist of loosely woven bags filled with fibrous material like excelsior. Such filter pads are relatively heavy when wet, and they tend to sag when positioned vertically, as

frequently is necessary. It has thus far been at any point; second, to furnish a support of this kind which is adapted for being assembled very expeditiously, with the filtering pad in place therein; third, to supply animproved composite filtering unit which employs loose fibrous material as the filtering agent; and, fourth, to accomplish simple and relaall these things by means of tively inexpensive construction.

Our objects have been attained in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of our invention. 7 In these illustrations- Figure 1 isafront composite unit; I

N Figure 2 is a rear elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the unit taken on a plane indicated by broken line 3-4,

of Fig. 2; and

Figure 4 is a much enlarged sectional elevation of the upper portion of the unit taken on a plane positioned approximately according to broken line 44. of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The form of our invention illustrated, includes a flat rectangular metallic frame 5, which has a suitable metallic screen 6 attached thereto andfilling the opening thereof. The material of the frame should be at least slightly resilient, for a reason to be explained. The screen may conveniently be formed from light expanded metal, or from metal lath.

At the rear of the unit is'a grid formed of stiff together with the two side peripheral portions, constitute plural pairs of vertical supports for a relatively large number of U-shaped barbs 9, the prongs I l of which project horizontally inwardly.

A sufficient number of suitably positioned L- 5 shaped members l2, are rigidly attached to intermediate portions of the inner side of frame 5, as

by stove bolts IS; in such a way that one arm [4 of each of these members projects inwardly in a direction that normally is perpendicular to the 10 plane of the frame. The free ends of these arms are formed with hook portions 15, adapted to engage and hold the periphery of wire grid I; but only after the arms have been pressed outwardly in such a way as to slightly twist the intermediate 15 portions of frame 5, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 at l6. Thus 'the torsional resiliency of the frame serves to keep the hook arms pressed toward positions-perpendicular to the plane of the frame, and hence they are adapted to properly position grid 1. go

The upper arm Id may also serve for supporting H a perforated watertube IT, for keeping the filter-,

ing material wet. A convenient arrangement for this purpose is shown to best advantage in Fig. 4.

Sucharrangement requires only making a Cir-'25 I cular holein the arm for the tube, closely adjacent its upper edge, and providing a slot or kerf elevationof our complete wire, preferably by welding. Its periphery! is slightly smaller than that of frame 5, and is similar thereto in shape and proportions. An

even number of intermediate vertical bars 8 are -hung thereupon.

l8 leading to the hole from said edge. ,The thusformed points l9 (Fig. 4) may be bent laterally in opposite directions, toallow the tube to enter a its hole, and then be bent back again to retain the tube in place.

In the illustrated device, the filter proper consists of a suitably shaped and dimensioned bag 2 I, of loosely woven material like burlap, filled with 35 ,fib'rous material 22 such'asexcelsior. The bag is held in slight localized compression between screen 6 and wire grid members I and 8; and prongs 'l l which easily penetrate the bag and the 'excelsior contents, serve to support the latter and prevent undue sagging thereof, even when the material is wet. The efficacy of- -the prongs in this respect is due to their multiplicity, and to the fibrous felted nature of the excel'sior which is Because of the felted-nature of the excelsior, a portion of the weight of lower portions will be borne by upper portions, and this eflect is progressive upwardly. For thisreason, we prefer to make use of progressively closer vertical spacing of U-barbs-Stoward the top of the grid, as is indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

Obviously our invention may take many specific forms, and be made of various kinds of material.

Therefore we do not limit ourselves as to the k scope of the invention, except as it is defined b the appended claims.

We claim as our invention: 1. The method of supporting a filter mass. 0 felted fibrous material which consists of confining it within a loosely woven bag and hanging it upon a multiplicity of spaced prongs extending into said mass and substantially therethrough. 2. The method of supporting a filter mass of felted fibrous material which consists of confining it within a loosely woven bag and hanging it upon a multiplicity of spaced prongs extending into and substantially through said mass; the

spacing between adjacent prongs being progressively less toward the uppermost thereof.

3. The method of supporting a filter mass of felted fibrous material which consists of confining it within a loosely woven bag and hanging it upon a multiplicity of prongs extending into and v screen; a filtering mass of felted fibrous material confined between the screen and grid; and a multiplicity of spaced prongs attached to 'the wire-grid element and extending well into said mass for supporting the weight thereof.

-5. A filtering unit comprising; a vertical screen element; a vertical wire-grid element, spaced from the screen; a filtering mass of felted fibrous material confined between the screen and grid; and U-shaped barbs attachedto the wire-grid 1 element, and having prongs spaced from each other and adjacent prongs; said prongs extending well into said mass for supporting the weight thereof.

6. A filtering unit comprising; a vertical screen element; a vertical wire-grid element, spaced from the screen and having plural pairs of parallel rods extending from thetop to the bottom thereof; a filtering mass of felted fibrous material confined between the screen and grid; and a plurality of spaced U-shaped barbs straddling each of said pairs of rods, attached thereto, and having prongs extending well into said mass for supporting the weight thereof.

'7. Aflltering unit comprising; a vertical screen element; a vertical wire-grid element, spaced from the screen and having plural pairs of parallel rods extending from the top to the bottom thereof; a filtering mass of felted fibrous material confined within a loosely woven bag and compressed slightly between the screen and grid; and a plurality of spaced U-shaped barbs straddling each of said pairs of rods,- attached thereto, and having prongs extending through the bag into, and substantially through, said mass for supporting the weight thereof; the vertical spacing of each of said series of prongs being progressively less toward the uppermost thereof.

8. A construction as set forth in claim 4 wherein the screen is retained by a surrounding frame having hooks attached to the inner surface thereof, and wherein said hooks engage the wire-grid and position it with respect tothe screen.

9. A construction as set forth in claim 4 wherein the screen is retained by a surroundingframe of resilient material havinglhooks rigidly atwire gridfor positioning it with respect to the screen.

- OSCAR E. QUAVE.

BEN B. BRESLOW. 

